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The Arizona Diamondbacks will square off with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. The Diamondbacks defeated the Colorado Rockies 6-4 on Sunday to improve to 48-59 this year. The Pirates are now up to 44-64 this season after their 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Pittsburgh has been a terrible team away from home, sporting just a 20-35 away record this season. Both teams' playoff hopes are nonexistent at this year's stage.
Zac Gallen will take the hill Monday for the Diamondbacks. He is 6-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 20 starts. The right-hander has been great in his last three outings, surrendering just four earned runs in his past 17 2/3 frames.
The Pirates offense has been decent over the past week, but on the year, they're 28th in runs and OPS. Gallen has been slightly better in his home park this year and should add to his solid season on Monday.
Tyler Beede gets the call Monday for the Pirates. He's 1-1 with a 3.89 ERA through 24 appearances. This will be just his second start of the year, and in his first one, he recorded only four outs.
Beede will face a Diamondbacks team that ranks around average in most offensive categories but still isn't that great from top to bottom. The Pirates' bullpen has a 4.44 ERA and should be used heavily in the series opener since Beede likely won't last long.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Match Details
Fixture: Pittsburgh Pirates @ Arizona Diamondbacks
Date & Time: Monday, August 8, 9:40 p.m. EDT
Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Odds
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Best Picks
The Pirates go down on strikes at the second highest rate in baseball. Gallen isn't normally a huge strikeout pitcher, but he has tallied seven or more Ks in two of his previous five starts. Expect the Pirates to be free swinging in this one.
"Zac Gallen, 94mph Fastball and 81mph Knuckle Curve..." - Rob Friedman
Pick: Zac Gallen Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+120)
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Prediction
The Diamondbacks have won three straight games where Gallen has started, and there's a good chance they make it four tonight. Pittsburgh's pitching staff isn't great, and Arizona has a decent enough lineup to put some runs on the board.
Prediction: Diamondbacks -1.5 (-120)
